The Legend of Zelda: Shadows of Home
by VBUser
Summary: Link comes out of the magical portal from Termina, hoping to have found his way home. However, the young Hero of Time finds himself in the world of Somare, and the shadow of evil not not far behind.
1. Prelude: Shadows

Prelude: Shadows  
  
Ganon. Majora. The shadows of evil were destroyed by a young hero. The shadows tried to destroy, to conquer, to rule. The shadows are vanquished, but the Hero of Time still lives, separated from his home, and lost from many of his friends. His closest partner is no longer with him. His best friend in the forest has transcended his world. The hero is courageous forever, but alone.  
  
The day has come, the sky is gray;  
  
The shadows walk, no animals stir;  
  
The day has come, the evil rises;  
  
The friends meet, they are not friends;  
  
The day has come, the silence envelops;  
  
The leader of good, commands the storm;  
  
The day has come, the people havn't hope;  
  
The evil rears, some righteous fall;  
  
The day has come, the hero is dark;  
  
The day has come, the sky is dark, the world is covered in the Shadows of darkness, and nothing escapes the shades.  
  
- Rahuhlja K'tamhet, prophesy of the Gerudo priestesses in world of Somare 


	2. One: Homecoming

1.1.1.1 Chapter 1: Homecoming  
  
[ ] indicates thought  
  
There was no wind, no walls rushing away, no evidence of movement. Yet, the only feeling Link had was falling. Then, it was over; his feet touched the ground. He walked out of the magical transport and toward the lighted arch.  
  
The sights and smells immediately assaulted him as he stepped out of the tree. Birds chirped. Insects crawled over the ground. A butterfly lazily flapped by. Light streamed though the dense treetops, illuminating airborne particles that added to the atmosphere of the place. He had forgotten what a beautiful and alive place a forest was. Link knew that he had truly come back to Kokiri, his home for ten years.  
  
"What a fall!" Link offhandedly remarked to the helpful glowing fairy that was always fluttering at his side.  
  
"I don't know, about falling Link. I fly, not fall," the cheerful yellow fairy told him.  
  
Link slowly turned his head. [That voice,] he thought. [That voice. Is it? Could it be?]  
  
"Navi!" he joyfully exclaimed. "You're back!"  
  
"I am?" she asked. "I wasn't gone for that long. But now I've found you again!"  
  
"But wait…everything went back to like it was before the…before the…well, you know. You were gone!" he explained. "I haven't been here for so long."  
  
"What are you talking about, silly? I'd never leave you; you'd never leave me; we're partners. Sarie made us the Watchers of the Forest!" she explained patiently, simplifying the concept to her lightheaded boy. "Now, Sarie told me that she wants to see you! Come on!" With that, Navi fluttered away between the tall and majestic trees.  
  
Link, completely confused at her words, quickly followed the fairy that was not his fairy through the forest that looked so much like Kokiri in a world that was so similar to Hyrule. 


	3. Two: Stirrings of Darkness

1.1.1.1 Chapter 2: Stirrings of Darkness  
  
"Hooo!"  
  
"Navi! Wait!" Link yelled.  
  
"Hooo!"  
  
"Come-on, you silly slowpoke! They're expecting us!" Navi answered.  
  
"Hooo!"  
  
The dark figure alighted from its shadowy perch among the branches. As it silently glided among the forest boughs, it was shown to be a bird. An owl.  
  
"Navi! You fluttering fairy! Wait!" yelled Link, exasperated.  
  
"Hooo. Link!" the bird called.  
  
Link stopped abruptly. [Is it?] he asked himself. [Kaepora, the owl! He always helps clear up the confusion. I hope he can guide me now,] Link thought. He searched the branches of the trees for where his friend was perched.  
  
"I've been waiting, young one. Hoo hoo Hoot!"  
  
Link cringed. The voice. It felt wrong, different. Link finally laid eyes on his old…friend.  
  
"Kaepora? You…you're…"  
  
The cruelly curved beak. The black sheen of the feathers.  
  
"Navi!" Link yelled in anticipation.  
  
The eyes. That was where the dreadful feelings originated. Their darkness; the blood-red pupils. They radiated evil, untainted evil.  
  
Link pulled his shield to attention. His blessed blade found itself in the fighter's stance. He loosened his bow.  
  
"Hooo! Young one, you seem to have guessed my motives. I am K'aopira, the owl. Shall I now teach you of my power?"  
  
"Link," the fairy shuddered, "he's evil I can feel it."  
  
"Help me, Navi!" Link ran forward. The Hero of Time, punisher of Ganon, and displacer of Majora, rushed the shadow, crying to the fairy for help.  
  
"But Link," Navi gasped, "what do I do?" 


	4. Three: Skirmish with Evil

1.1.1.1 Chapter 3: Skirmish with Evil  
  
Link approached the owl, sword unsheathed and gleaming of golden power.  
  
"Young one," K'aopira taunted, "your toy is not worthy of me. Hooo! Put it away!"  
  
Suddenly, the owl swooped down from its perch, flying straight for Link. The Hero's Shield stood ready; Link hoisted it into position, and kneeled into a strengthened pose.  
  
"Link, I'm scared," cowered the inexperienced little fairy.  
  
The massive bird made contact with the protective shield. The hit rocked Link backward, but he had braced himself well. He did not fall.  
  
"Hooo!"  
  
The owl surged his mighty wings. The feathers flapped past Link's shield, slapping his face. He clenched his eyes shut in protection until the assault stopped.  
  
"Link!" Navi fearfully hollered.  
  
The owl was gone.  
  
"Help me look, Navi. We've got to find him."  
  
"But he'll get me!" she shivered and fluttered behind Link's back.  
  
The cries of battle had faded, and the sounds of the forest had returned. Link remained tense; his eyes open and searching, his pointy ears piqued for the sound of feathers. Several nervous moments passed.  
  
Whoosh!  
  
Clank!  
  
"HOOO HOOT!"  
  
Link had leaped sideways out of the diving bird's path and his blade struck a glancing blow. The bird flapped heavily and dipped on his way up to a thick branch.  
  
"You have the gift of a fighter, young one," K'aopira mused. "But, you seem too confident. Perhaps you shall be taught some humility."  
  
The owl craned his neck and twisted his head. The feathers encompassing his neck fluffed. His whole body gave off an even darker sheen, and K'aopira's eyes sparked with the evil of the shadows.  
  
Link gripped his shield tightly in protection, facing the attack. Navi fluttered quickly into his satchel.  
  
A bolt of arcane energy, dark as the sun is bright, zapped from the bird towards Link. It struck his shield, and small arcs of darkness ran over the metal. Some shadowy bursts struck Link, overpowering his strength. They knocked him backward and off his feet.  
  
Link struggled to move. The dark had energy sunk straight into his bones, creating a dread weariness. He fought the urge to stay and lie, slowly pulling himself to a crawling position. Link willed himself to speak.  
  
"Navi," he whispered. The fairy had just peaked out of his bag. "I need you to fly next to him and show me a target."  
  
"But…but," she the fairy stuttered.  
  
"Just do it," he gasped as he painfully stood up, "please."  
  
The owl had begun to circle them, his silent wings powering his body behind and around protective trees. Link pulled himself to his feet, sheathing his sword. He studied K'aopira's flight for half a minute, looking for any opportunity. He pulled out his bow, cocking an arrow. The owl continued to fly skillfully behind trunks. Link did not see any chance of hitting him.  
  
"Here, Link!" Navi was fluttering near the owl as he flew between two trees, showing her partner exactly where to strike.  
  
Link cocked his bow. He uttered the enchantment softly, and let the arrow fly. The shot endowed with light magic light magic struck the bird of the night just above Navi's position. The owl screeched and went rigid. For a split second, a fierce light shone through the dark glow of his eyes.  
  
Link's world went white. 


	5. Four: Incarnation of Darkness

1.1.1.1 Chapter 4: Incarnation of Darkness  
  
Link slowly opened his eyes as the brightness started to fade. The scene now in front of him was mostly pure white. It seemed like a glowing vision, just like the one that had visited him with Zelda and the Song of Time. The little of the full scene that was revealed to him seemed familiar. He had seen it before. A single object was not obscured by whiteness. An organ, a grand pipe organ.  
  
"Geh heh heh heh!"  
  
Before the organ stood a man, a tall man with a long black cape. He spun around and revealed his face. Link stared in disbelief.  
  
"Hey, kid. Heh heh. Surprised?" Ganondorf stood before his organ, as healthy and non-Ganon as he had been before Link had gotten to him. "Hah. We've been brought back here only because I have something to give you.  
  
Link tried to reach for his sword in front of the supposed threat, but found he was as immovable as the rest of the scene.  
  
"I shall teach you this! You're gonna need it, geh heh heh," he explained ominously.  
  
Ganondorf turned around and poised over the organ keys. The notes he played reverberated through Link's mind. If the echoing organ was not enough, the notes themselves had an evil feel. Chillingly, they formed into a tune that the organ boomed out into the abnormal scene.  
  
"That's it, kid. Remember, it's the Chorus of Shadow."  
  
Those notes would be forever in Link's memory. Their dark magic adhered to the hero just as would a song of good magic would.  
  
"Hey, kid. Whatever you do, don't die…my revenge isn't finished."  
  
As the brightness of the vision faded into the green and brown dimness of the forest, Link had one last glimpse of Ganondorf. The Incarnation of Evil was changing once again into his monstrous evolution. His evil, booming laugh echoed through Link's ears.  
  
"Link, Link, Link, Link!" Navi fluttered quickly, bouncing around his head. "We did it! He flew away. Yay! Link, you're the best boy a fairy could have!" 


	6. Five: Council

1.1.1.1 Chapter 5: Council  
  
Shadow: the spawn of darkness, the meaning of evil. Thunder boomed. The shadows surrounded them right now. Two figures, shrouded in darkness, sat at the round table. Outside, a torrent of rain pounded down. Here in the darkness, among their element, the evil of the figures oozed through their out of their personages.  
  
"I thought you were confident," a shadow spoke with a mockingly arrogant tone. "You said that it would be easy to eliminate the inexperienced child."  
  
"The young one, he is not what we expected," the other dark figure defended. "He has harnessed a feeble bit of power, a little bit of the powers of light."  
  
"Fool! You know how to defend against that!" scolded the first.  
  
The second figure fluffed his feathers, looking quite annoyed. Then he hung his head and replied. "I had not prepared myself for that blow. Our next encounter shall have a proper defense on my side. The young one shall not stand in our way then."  
  
"Link's demise will come soon enough. Another plan to make up for your ignorant mistakes is probably already being set motion by our leader," the sinister individual decided. "But, be sure that the Shadows you command are ready!"  
  
"Hoot!" The great bird alighted and flew to a dark window. "Yes, Link shall be destroyed," he muttered, thunder from the storm that revenged the area boomed. His ache from the Light Arrow had not yet subsided.  
  
The council table, converted out of a large stump, sat in a bright clearing of the Kokiri forest. Around the table sat three Deku scrub representatives, Mido, and another Kokiri. Sarie stood at the head. They were the Council of Kokiri. For many generations, the council had been the authoritive wisdom of this land. Now, a short fairy boy and his excited partner now stood before the current members. The pair had been appointed Watchmen after Sarie had first warned them of the dangers flowing from the Southern Wasteland. Now it seemed, the evil had begun to invade their peaceful part of the world.  
  
"...And Link jumped out of the way and slashed 'em. But then he zapped us with magic. It was scary!" Navi gushed.  
  
The council stiffened and a Deku council member asked, "What kind of magic did he use?"  
  
"Oh, it was a dark bolt of shadow," Navi explained.  
  
"Sarie was right!" another Deku exclaimed. "There is evil coming from the desert!"  
  
"Please, Navi, continue," Sarie calmly requested.  
  
"Well, we got knocked down, but got up, and then I flew over by the owl. Then, Link shot him with an arrow!" By this time, Navi was excitedly bouncing around the Link, visibly elated by Link's recent performance. "Then, Kahporia, or whatever he called himself, screeched like a Baba and flew away as fast as he could!" Link just stood silently and let her tell the story.  
  
There was stunned silence for a few moments. All were staring at Link in disbelief and admiration. All except Mido, who looked at him with mild surprise and curiosity.  
  
Finally, Sarie spoke once again.  
  
"Link," she started, "in light of the situation, we need to ask you to do something; something very important. We need you to leave the forest and stop the evil in the desert."  
  
None of the Kokiri people willingly ever left the forest for a long time. They would never dream of traveling all the way to the desert and back. All of the council members stood, bracing themselves for his expected harsh reply.  
  
Link simply gave a short nod.  
  
The others now stood in total respect of the courageous lad. Mido stared intently at Link, searching for a reason why any Kokiri would go. After a few more silent moments, Sarie broke the silence.  
  
"Well, then you must leave right away! Good journey." 


	7. Six: Desert

1.1.1.1 Chapter 6: Desert  
  
After traveling through a deep canyon, Link had emerged at the edge of the Southern Wasteland. Tall reddish cliffs surrounded the entire expanse of sand. Unfortunately, even they provided no shade or shelter from the beating sun.  
  
"Wow," Navi remarked to Link in a squeaky, awe filled voice. "There's, like, nothing." Both continued to stare, searching. Sloping sand dunes waved away in endless heat. There was nothing; no animals, no flags, no boxes. Not even Leevers stirred. There was no desert vegetation, not even a single cactus.  
  
They both saw it at the same time.  
  
"Well, that's gotta be a mirage!" Navi exclaimed. A great forest tree stood in the distance. The image was obscured by waves of heat, but the silhouette of a gigantic trunk topped by widespread branches could be discerned.  
  
"It's a long way off," Link said. "We'd better get going."  
  
"But…but…it's too far. And it can't be real, anyway."  
  
Link had already started running. Navi grumbled her complaints and fluttered after him.  
  
As they grew close to the tree, it became apparent that they were also drawing near to the other side of the (apparently small) desert. Once they were quite close to the tree, it was clear that it was a very large oak. Navi poked out of Link's satchel just as he moved under the scarce shade of its branches.  
  
"It's a tree," she whispered, "and not an illusion."  
  
"Right." They were both whispering. They strangeness of this abnormality was easily recognizable and readily respected.  
  
Suddenly, Navi excitedly popped up and yelled, as loud as a fairy can yell, "Hey, look, a cave!"  
  
Above them, a few thousand glowing orange eyes snapped open.  
  
"Shhhh!" Link gasped.  
  
Black crows covered the tree. Smelly, annoying crows. Unfortunately, a flock of crows, very angry at having their roost disturbed, could pose quite a problem. And right now, the glaring eyes were saying just that. With a great flurry of wings, every single black bird above them took to the air.  
  
"The cave, Navi, the cave!"  
  
Link ran as fast he could through the sand, his fairy flying swiftly ahead of him. The little yellow dot made it to the cave much before Link, who was being hit by all the crows that could reach him.  
  
"Here, Link!" Navi called from behind a rock. Link dashed in next to her, freeing his shield to cover his body. They waited for several tense minutes, waiting for the crows to attack.  
  
"Where are they?" Navi questioned.  
  
In response, Link slowly stood up, peaking over the stone. The crows had all stopped short before the cave's mouth. They were still flying about, cawing in frustration as they circled.  
  
"Ha! Look at that, Link!" Navi said. "They're afraid of the cave!"  
  
"I think you're right," Link replied. "But what could that many crows possibly be afraid of?"  
  
"Oh!" Navi ducked back into his satchel.  
  
Link, showing his usual courage, proceeded deeper into the cavern. The path slanted upward as he walked further. After a good half-hour of working his way through the winding tunnel, Link spotted a natural light ahead. The beam was shining through a hole in the cave roof, illuminating a definite room. Link hurriedly turned the corner.  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
"Eeep!" Navi, who had peaked her way out of the bag, squeaked and ducked back inside. On the opposite wall of the small chamber lay a gigantic cobra's head, made of tan clay. 


	8. Seven: Reflection of Spirit

1.1.1.1 Chapter 7: Reflection of Spirit  
  
"Wow," Link remarked to himself, "this must be it."  
  
"Is it gone?" Navi asked, muffled from inside his satchel.  
  
"Navi, it's a statue! Come out."  
  
Link walked into the cobra's mouth, where a door lay, and Navi peaked her way out of the bag. "It's just so big! And unnatural and scary."  
  
"It's probably the Gerudo temple. Nothing to be afraid of!"  
  
"Link, the Gerudo are probably sent that owl!"  
  
"Oh yeah," he said, remembering that Gerudo traditionally were thieves and scoundrels. [But they never seemed to be truly evil, as a whole,] he thought, remembering Ganondorf. They had made their way though the door and into a new room of the strange place. The cavern had only one door, which had bars over it.  
  
Link sighed. Some things never change.  
  
"Hey! This door has bars!" Navi announced. "Maybe there's some way to open it!"  
  
Link sighed again.  
  
Suddenly, a strange creature fell from the ceiling into the middle of the room. It looked to be a large insect with a black beetle shell. It was a Desert Scarab.  
  
"Ahhhh!" Navi screamed, scared once again, and ducked behind Link.  
  
Link drew his sword and readied his shield as he approached the Scarab. It continued to sit still on the floor. At closer inspection, its glistening black shell looked quite hardy.  
  
"He he! It doesn't even want to move." Navi taunted, still behind the boy's back.  
  
The bug choose that moment to jump quite swiftly as Link, swinging its sharp legs. He raised up his shield to block the slicing appendages, and quickly thrust the golden-blue blade in the same motion. The action scored a hit to the Scarab's less-protected underbelly.  
  
"Go Link! Yah!" Navi squeaked.  
  
The black insect scurried to the far wall, climbing up it a distance.  
  
"Yah! Yah! You beat it!"  
  
Link ignored the naive fairy. He once again approached the bug. It scurried down the wall, and sat to face the hero. As Link drew near to the Scarab, it again reared up to attack him. Knowing exactly what had to be done, Link brought up his shield and gripped his sword.  
  
This time, however, the Scarab waited half a second. Link, wholeheartedly expecting a quick strike, pulled his protection back, and swung his weapon. The bug's legs swiped quicker, inflicting damage and sending the boy to the ground.  
  
As Link got to his feet, his face turned a glowing red, and he roared, "I'm gonna get that bug!"  
  
"Wow, Link, you never get angry," Navi remarked, flying out of the action.  
  
"It's not everyday when an insect outsmarts me," he muttered to himself, and madly charged the creature.  
  
The smart Scarab scurried out of the path of his wrath, up the wall, and onto the ceiling. Link, instantly regaining his calm, pulled out his bow and shot a quick arrow. The bug was knocked to the floor, upside-down, and underbelly exposed. Link dispatched it with a quick jump-slash.  
  
"But nothing's perfect," Link pronounced the epitaph, smirking, and the bars over the doors rose.  
  
"Yahoo! We get to go through!" Navi buzzed around the door until Link walked over. The clay door slid into the wall and the hero and his partner went through into a gigantic chamber. The walls and floor, instead of the usual clay-beige, were black. A loud rustling and scurrying was heard.  
  
"Link," Navi whispered, "they're all Scarabs. The whole room is covered in bugs."  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"You're gonna have to fight your way to the other side!" she raved. "But, don't worry; I'll help you this time. I know we can do it!"  
  
"Navi!" Link yelled from the other side of the chamber, near the only other door. While she was having dreams of excitement, he had made use of the hookshot.  
  
"Hey!" She fluttered to him. They walked through the door, which led to a flight of stairs. At the top was a single long room. Light streamed in from two high windows. Link walked along the old, musty carpet toward a curtain at the end of the chamber. His tread was more cautious as he approached the covering.  
  
Suddenly, the curtain was pulled back to reveal a single figure.  
  
"Nabooru!" Link greeted her, glad to see an old friend.  
  
"Eeep!" Navi ducked into Link's satchel. 


	9. Eight: Reflection of Friends

1.1.1.1 Chapter 8: Reflection of Friends  
  
"I'm so glad to see you again!" Link exclaimed, forgetting that he was not in Hyrule.  
  
The tall figure studied him through narrowed, cool eyes. She was dressed in traditional Gerudo garb. Overall, she looked like Nabooru.  
  
"Speak fast, fairy boy. Who are you, who do you think I am, and why have you come to the temple of the ancients?"  
  
Realization washed over Link's face. "I'm…I'm Link. And you…well, you looked like someone I used to know. Sarie sent me to find the evil coming from here."  
  
The unidentified person laughed heartily. Looking into her eyes, Link realized that this was not a personage of evil.  
  
"Sarie is a fool. A well spoken fool, but a fool, nonetheless. You'll find no evil radiating from this barren land, only a leader without followers, trapped by the lifeless protectors. Go back where you came from boy. Tell your master to look for another scapegoat."  
  
"Maybe she's right Link," Navi, who had come back out from he hiding place, muttered. "I think we're looking in the wrong place."  
  
"No!" Both the fairy and the woman were surprised at the courageous young boy's resolute response. "You need my help, and we need yours. You're trapped here and we can help free you, somehow, can't we?"  
  
"Listen, kid! In the next room is the only way out that I can take. There's a creature so powerful that it commands all the other horrors that have taken over my people's sacred ground! I can't conquer the abomination, and neither can you!"  
  
"Then we do it together," Link said, and unsheathed his sword. "Are you with me?"  
  
The woman paused for a moment, secretly admiring his courage. "Maybe I do know of a way to defeat the monster. But, I need time and concentration to prepare.  
  
"I'll help too," Navi offered as they walked through the door. "Really, I will!"  
  
Through the door lay a room inlayed with a lust, red carpet running the length. At its end stood a metal suit of armor, stylized in the Eastern fashion.  
  
"I've heard of that. It's one of the ancient Iron Samurai's armor," Navi, helpful, as usual, told them.  
  
"Yes, it's lain here for centuries. Only recently has it been endowed with a restless spirit, a powerful ghost indeed. The spell I know will vanquish it, but I have to enchant my sword. Distract the beast." At her words, the suit of metal-wicker armor stirred. It lifted its great legs, stretched its arms, and began to plod towards Link.  
  
"Com'on, Link! Go get the slowpoke," Navi urged.  
  
Link, shield forward, feet ready to dodge, moved ahead. Behind him, the mysterious woman had begun to utter the enchantment on her unsheathed scimitar.  
  
As Link approached the creature and began to circle it, his days of fighting Iron Knuckles in the Ikana graveyard came back to him. The techniques he had learned flowed through his active mind. He moved in, shield still at attention, with his sword ready to strike. He circled closer, and brought his sword up to the plodding monster.  
  
And the creature smoothly, quickly leaped high over Link's head to safely land behind his back. It pulled out its great Katana sword and struck Link, who went flying.  
  
Link, mentally cursing himself for underestimating the speed of the iron monster, got back up and faced the beast, which was now moving around as fluidly as any ninja master would. Link cautiously moved in, as the Samurai swung its Katana through the air, taking a classic swordsman's pose. Link was fearful of its strike, but had a plan of attack. He held his shield to the last moment as he moved in, until he thrust quickly with his blade. Once again, the creature leaped over him. This time, Link swung his sword over his head, hoping to strike a blow. Unfortunately, the Samurai was still a step ahead, and had already twisted in mid-air to bring down its own sword, striking an even harder blow to Link. He was flung backwards, and Navi fluttered to his still form as the enemy took a victorious warrior's pose.  
  
"Link, are you alright? Are you hurt?" his fairy nervously asked.  
  
The resilient young boy answered by struggling to his feet and once again bringing his golden blade into a fighter's position. Despite the pain, the Hero of Time would not be beaten, even if victory required two or more Red Fairies.  
  
"Link!" The Gerudo woman had began running towards the Samurai, who had turned when she yelled. "I'm finished!" Her sword had acquired a magical emerald glow.  
  
"Hey big guy!" The creature turned towards Link's voice to see an arrow cocked and aimed at his face. As the bowstring sang, crystals of ice traced the magic-endowed arrow's path. The pain of the strike and the freezing reality of the frost made the Iron Samurai stumble back. It turned its head just in time to hear a fierce yell let out by the woman, and to be struck by a blazing green blade, which sliced through the ancient armor and incapacitated the beast. The pieces of metal piled on the floor in defeat.  
  
Throwing her head back, the woman yelled, "I am Banooru, queen of the Gerudo!" This mysterious woman let off a fierce cry of victory. Link sheathed his sword and tightened his belt. Navi fluttered about their heads.  
  
Suddenly, out of the piles of inanimate pieces of armor, a dark blob of shadow raised itself. The creature of the night shook itself, radiating evil. It quickly flowed towards Banooru, flinging itself onto her quickly fearful body. She was wracked with convulsions as the shadow pulled itself into her body.  
  
Both Link and Navi looked on in fear, until Link remembered his ocarina. He pulled out the magical instrument and struck a tune. The enchanted notes of healing flowed through the air and into the body now lying on the floor. The Song of Healing did its work, and carried a dark spirit out of Banooru weak body. It collected in front of her face, forming into a shadowy shape. The last of the evil was cleansed from her body, and a mask clattered to the floor.  
  
Banooru took a gasping breath and sat up. In a small, weak voice, the normally strong woman whispered. "The owl," she gasped. "Death Mountain. You must go and destroy the owl or all hope is lost!" Link rushed to her side and helped her to stand. "That was his minion, born of his evil. I could feel it," she said. "Go now! I can find you later."  
  
Link gave his new friend, who seemed so much like his old friend, a last look of sympathy, and ran towards the exit, grabbing his new mask. The hero emerged from the short tunnel with a newly cut notch on his shield, signaling another small victory in his unwanted yet unquestioned quest to help this world. 


	10. Nine: Deepening Shadows

1.1.1.1 Chapter 9: Deepening Shadows  
  
From its high up soaring, a dark bird watched. Down below, in a dusty mountain pass, a small boy ran. Large boulders, forever rolling, tried to crush him, but the boy was agile and quick.  
  
"Hooo!"  
  
The owl flapped its great wings, the feathers surging through the air. It took a last look at the hero, who was plunging his sword into a four-legged spider.  
  
"Come, young one, come," the fiend cackled. "Hooo! Come to my realm. Soon, you shall be out of the way forever," K'aopira mused as he headed to his dark home atop Death Mountain. "Come indeed, hero. Try to stop us. Hooo! With you dead and gone, our lives will be much easier."  
  
In a quiet forest village, a lone Kokiri, dressed in brilliant green, stood below the great canopy of magnificent trees. The sentry kept a watchful eye as he leaned against the hollow log that marked the entrance to the clearing, listing to the chirping and squeaking of the woodland animals.  
  
As the child of the forest stood guard of his home, all sounds suddenly ceased. The boy stood up, alert at the silence. He started pacing, fearful of what bad omens could threaten the sanctity of the forest.  
  
"Neri," yelled a voice. "Neri, help!" yelled a younger Kokiri child, running towards the sentry. The little boy's face was white.  
  
'Tokimi, what is it? Is a Scrub picking fun again?"  
  
"No," said Tokimi, suddenly shy. [To be a rambunctious boy again,] Neri though. The little boy looked up and whispered, "It was the Shadow's Mirikiri."  
  
"Oh, has Mido been filling your head with stories again? Can't you tell that they're all old wives' tales?"  
  
"But Neri," the boy insisted, "I saw it." He gasped, and then whispered, "There it is again."  
  
Neri looked up to where the impressionable young child was pointing. "It's only a Baba, Tokimi. Be mindful of what you think…" he trailed off. As the guard looked on, the simple Deku Baba flower took a step, then another. ['The plants will walk, and the shadows will live,'] he thought. Neri's face took an astounded and horrified look as he saw the shadow of a tree rise up, and move along the ground. [I remember that line of the Mirikiri "prophecy" from when I was a boy.] The living darkness found a wilted and nearly dead Baba and engulfed it. The old flower rose out of the ground and lifted its roots in a plodding march.  
  
"Tokimi, go to your house. Hurry, now," Neri urged. He saw another plant rise out of the ground. The boy silently ran off, scared. Neri, who was more afraid than the boy was, ran towards the Council of Kokiri. [If the prophecy is true…I must find Sarie and quickly.] The guard, who was untrained and nothing more than a symbol of security to the people, rushed off.  
  
Twang! An arrow rushed through the air, right on target, net to the glowing yellow dot, downing a flaming bat.  
  
"Link, it's hot in here. Why can't we leave?" Navi complained, fluttering back to his side.  
  
Link, who was sweating bullets himself, ignored her impatient comments, and replaced his bow in his satchel. He walked up to the pit of lava that covered most of the superheated room, seeing the door on the other side. [Now is when I wish my Goron mask was still with me,] he though with remorse.  
  
As he considered the situation, the molten rock in from of him began to bubble. He jumped back as an inhuman figure rose out of the pool. Its short stature, and sloped skull atom a skeletal body show the figure of a small undead warrior. A Stahlchild, dripping with magma, and glowing with flame, stepped toward him.  
  
Link's sword was already out, and his shield was facing the short skeleton. He moved around a bit, hoping to confuse the beast. It plodded towards him with a dragging gait. Link moved in closer, ready to strike. The inflamed monster struck, clubbing with its bony hand. Link easily blocked, but a wave of heat from the skeleton's flames passed over him. The shield was made of strong stuff, although he was glad for the thick leather grips to protect him from the heat. The Fire Stahlchild took a few more unbearably warm swipes, before Link preformed a quick thrust-slash. The bones, fell to the fire cavern's rocky floor, and dissolved; banished to the grave where they came from.  
  
A single platform rose out of the lava. "Yah! We're closer to the door!" Navi rejoiced. Link jumped to the stepping-stone, and the lava in front of him began to bubble. He sword was still in his hand as the skull rose; he saw the pattern and knew what to do.  
  
Thunderclouds billowed over the water, perpetually covering the bay in darkness. Under the shadowy veil, great waves crashed on the single, rocky isle. An air of dead silence hung over this place. The dark tower that stood on the isle did not help the air of deathful dread. It was marked by a shadowy aura, and at its top, there was a room. Shrouded in shadow, a dark figure sat at the round table.  
  
"The day of the shadows. The Shadow's Mirikiri for the Kokiri. Rahuhlja K'tamhet to the ancient Gerudos. They all mean the same thing. Our rise to power." The figure of shadow gave an arrogant shrug, and walked out of the room. Dark waves crashed on the rocks below.  
  
Four torches burned in the corners of the chamber, which was made of red- rock bricks, decorate almost the same as Hyrule's Fire Temple. Link and his fairy looked around the room, checking for more Fire Keeses. There was a single platform in the center of the floor.  
  
"Hey!" Navi fluttered over to it and yelled. "This must be the way out," she stated the obvious. The platform was a raised square of stone, with a smaller square lying inside and atop it. Link approached the object, with a guess to what it was.  
  
"Stay close, Navi," he commanded, and stepped on to it. A rumbling sounded below them, and the small square began to shake. Slowly, it began to rise, and then faster. Fire and lava blew it out from the base, moving Link faster and faster up towards the ceiling. Navi squeaked and ducked into Link's satchel. Link, with experience on his side, looked up toward the square hole in the roof, steadying his legs. They flew into the darkness of the long, narrow tunnel. The rushing air cooled his sweating face. Their movement soon slowed, and the light at the end of the tunnel showed.  
  
The boy and his fairy rose out of the floor in the new room. A chill passed over Link's body and he looked around. Snow piled in the corners, and icicles hung over their heads. A mysterious icy breeze stirred the cold air in the room.  
  
[And here we have Snowhead,] Link thought. [This world is so akin to Hyrule, but I keep seeing Termina. What a strange place.]  
  
The fire elevator's platform began to fall away as it lost its power. Link jumped to the cold stone ground. On the piles of snow around him, many small orange eyes popped open. A gaggle of fuzzy white critters swarmed towards them. Link pulled out his sword and shield, and Navi quickly fluttered over to show him the best one to attack fist. The hero's blade swung.  
  
"So what you're saying," a Deku councilman snidely asked, "is that a child's ghost story has now come true. Is that it?"  
  
Neri, who was now feeling insulted, was quick to defend his true experiences. "All I know is that the child's tale has been passed down through the generations. That ghost story was invented long before anyone can remember. What if it's not a story?" Have you ever seen a shadow live or a Baba walk?" he asked, becoming more agitated.  
  
"The sky will grow gray, The plants will walk, And the shadows will live, The wind will howl, And the mountains will cry, On this day you will fear, And everything you know will end, For on this day it is the coming of darkness, And it will be called the Shadow's Mirikiri," Mido quoted the story in his best ominous voice. "That is the legend of the Shadows' coming." The members of the Council of Kokiri sat; contemplating whether of not it truly was an ancient prophecy.  
  
A chilling breeze blew though the clearing, moaning past the trees.  
  
Sarie stood. "Gather the people," she commanded. "Prophecy or fairy tail, we'll all wait inside the safety of the Deku Tree." They all scurried toward the village in fearful silence.  
  
Link stood on the wooden seesaw, shivering from the cold. He sighted along the arrow shaft and let go. The thin dart leap out and struck the giant icicle at its weakest point, and it fell. The weight of the frozen water struck the raised end of the board, moving Link upward. He quickly jumped to the balcony platform of the snowy room. Link ran towards the door. Navi poked out of this satchel, only to see them enter another room of snow and ice.  
  
"Run, my shadows. Run!"  
  
Below an unnaturally gray and dark sky, atop the peak of Death Mountain, an ancient ruins sat. A few crumbing pillars and stone walls stood on the old stone paved plateau.  
  
"Today is your day, minions of darkness. Ruin the peace, shatter hopes, spread your reign of evil. Hooo hoot!"  
  
Perched on a decimated wall was the darkened silhouette of the owl. The evil red tint of his eyes glowed into the autumnal twilight.  
  
"Hooo! Today is the day that K'aopira Gamoira shall have his revenge on the wretched inhabitants of this world." His head turned halfway around. "The young one comes. Yes, now, hero. Come to me." The bird glowered in evil delight, knowing that he now held the dark defense to the boy's feeble powers of light.  
  
Huddled throughout the floor of the great hollow tree were the people of Kokiri. Children whimpered and young Scrubs squeaked. Parents tried to comfort the little ones, but were hampered by their own fears. Outside, darkness gathered as evil plants plodded through the village. Shadows pranced everywhere, basking in their freedom and the good people's terror. Inside, a young boy asked his mother why they were so afraid; she had no answer.  
  
In a dark corner, a figure sat, alone.  
  
"And everything you know will end," it whispered, "For on this day it is the coming of darkness." The person shrouded in shadow's eyes flashed with an evil darkness.  
  
"Do you feel it?" Navi and Link were before a dark, stone staircase leading far upwards.  
  
"The bird is near," Link stated. A dark presence flowed from the top of the passageway. It permeated every corner of the room; they could almost smell the evil.  
  
Link sat down, and Navi fluttered beside him. He pulled his satchel onto his lap.  
  
"What're you doing?" Navi asked. Link pulled a covered object from the bag. He began unwrapping the oilskin. A glint of polished metal showed. He finished removing the protective cloth.  
  
"Wow," Navi said in awe of the shining object. "I never knew you had this!" The Mirror Shield, blessed with magical protection, glimmered. Link replaced the Hero's Shield in his satchel, and hoisted it onto this back.  
  
He brought the shield to this arm and fastened it. Link pulled his shield to attention. His blessed blade found itself in the fighter's stance. He loosened his bow.  
  
Link and Navi went up the stairs, pushing though the dark presence. 


	11. Ten: Bird of the Night

1.1.1.1 Chapter 10: Bird of the Night  
  
The sky was gray and darkening. Over Death Mountain peak an air of ominous evil stood. The ruins of an ancient castle sat, crumbing more with every minute. At the center, by the head of a staircase, stood a boy, resolute in spirit and sword in hand. He looked around, searching for a dark figure.  
  
Atop a crumbing pillar sat the shadow of darkness. The figure was staring towards the shadowy forest that covered the majority of this land. The hero walked towards it, tense, nervous, but unafraid.  
  
"You have come, young one," the shadow said, not moving its gaze. "Do you see your forest from here? It is dark." The owl spun his head all the way around and glared with a gleeful look of evil malice. "Your friends are suffering, hero. Can you not save them?" he gloated with scorn, turning his clawed feat around on the broken wall, never breaking his intense watch on the unwavering boy. Facing him, the shadow craned his neck towards him, leaning far forward. "You come to defeat me?" he asked with contempt and spite. "Try, young one. Try!"  
  
K'aopira spread his lengthy wings and took to the air. He flapped above Link, circling him. His strong, black wings moved the air. Link sheathed his sword and pulled out his bow, quickly stringing and letting go a straight arrow. The owl ducked through the air, fully evading the quick dart. Link strung another, and enchanted it quickly with light. The owl turned in his path, seeing the sudden glow. Link's arrow careened straight towards him.  
  
The arrow struck the bird of shadow straight on the wing. The light magic flashed, but dissipated, the owl still flapping in the air. A broken arrow shaft dropped to the ground.  
  
"You are weak, young one. Your pathetic light cannot get past my protection of shadow. I hold it tight, and you cannot defeat me. Hooo!" The owl resumed his flying. Link feebly shot two more arrows, but the owl was too quick on the wing to be hit again.  
  
"Hoo hooo hooot!" he called, taunting.  
  
"Navi," Link whispered. "I'm gonna need you help it I'm gonna hit him. See if you can get close."  
  
The fairy fluttered around his head. "I…I…can't. His darkness is too strong for me to approach. We'll need to try something different" Link nodded, in agreement, still watching the bird of the night. Then, he turned and ran away from the circling shadow, ducking behind a fallen pillar. Tucking his bow away, he drew his sword again, its golden blade glinting in the twilight.  
  
"Come back, young one. Hooo! Meet your mortal fate," K'aopira called, gliding slowly towards Link and Navi. The hero's mind raced, running through all the battles he had waged. The owl was nearing his position. [There's never been a battle quite like this,] he thought. Link quickly reviewed all his weapons, straining his mind for a possible way to exploit a weakness. The owl alighted on a halfway fallen pillar nearby. [The light arrows won't penetrate his darkness, and he'll have to be on the ground to reach my sword,] he reasoned. The dark bird began crackling with dark magical energy, his feathers fluffing, building up energy for an evil attack of arcane night.  
  
Link's face brightened, an idea washing over him. He quickly dashed from behind his shelter a few feet, somersaulted, turned, and braced his legs in a kneeling position, body behind his shield.  
  
"Hooo!" The owl's red eyes shone, radiating evil. A black ball of shadow energy grew in front of K'aopira, gained power and burned with darkness. It began to shake and roar with power, and then exploded, sending hundreds of solid black electrical sparks toward Link. The evil magic struck his shield, sending tremors and arcs through the metal, shaking his arm.  
  
And the pieces of evil magic began to literally sink towards the center of the metal circle. A vortex formed on the surface, pulling every bit of the owl's magic into it. It spun into nothing; a bright gleam flashed over the Mirror Shield as Link stood to his feet.  
  
The owl gawked, his glowering glare gone; his face showed as much surprise as a bird's could. Link quickly tossed his shield over his shoulder and redrew his boy. Seeing this, K'aopira regained his composure, and flapped off the perch. Link strung an arrow and aimed carefully.  
  
"Arrows won't work!" Navi screeched from her scouting position.  
  
"Won't they?" Link asked, his idea taking further shape. He speedily muttered an enchantment, and swirls of magic formed over the arrowhead. Link let go; the arrow sang, magic flowing behind it.  
  
The shot was true, and struck in the middle of the bird's back, but K'aopira kept flying. Then the magic spread, and ice crystals solidified over his wings, stopping the flapping. The incapacitated bird fell to the stone-paved ground. Link ran speedily to the chilled form. He drew his blade and swung. Feathers flew through a quick slash-slash-thrust, then Link stepped back and leaped, the sword coming down on the now battered owl.  
  
K'aopira strained his powerful muscles, and his wings broke outward, shattering the icy covering and knocking Link back. The hero swiftly jumped to his feet, unfazed, as the owl took to the air again, not flying as straight or controlled as before.  
  
"Do you feel it Navi?" the boy asked. "The evil force's receded."  
  
"His shadow guard is down!" Navi squeaked shrilly. "Quick! Use the Light, Link!" She fluttered swiftly to the owl. Link dropped his sword, and the metal clattered on the stone as he grabbed his bow and arrow. The brave fairy held constant next to K'aopira flank, and yelled, "Here, Link!"  
  
Remembering a similar experience earlier, the hurt and angry owl spun in mid air and swatted at the yellow dot; she fell. Link's mind screamed of worry, but his hardened instincts already had the dark bird sighted. The owl's unplanned and enraged move had exposed his torso fully. Link cried the enchantment with all of his built up emotions and pure passion against evil. He let go of the brilliantly radiant arrow.  
  
K'aopira mind was clouded with rage at the arrogant child who would strike him. A few lucky hits and a charmed shield would not bury his goals. He brought his head up from watching the annoyance of a creature plunge to the ground to see a white flash, brighter than he had ever seen, directly in from of his eyes. The arrow struck his totally unprotected and unshielded breast and tore through flesh. The powers of light ripped though his body, tearing at the fabric of his evil. The bird spun over in the air, and plunged to the ground, twitching.  
  
Link grabbed his golden blade off the ground, and ran to the downed shadow. He treated the evil creature with careful regard, approaching the motionless form, sword ready.  
  
"You…you've defeated me, young one," the owl struggled to move his beak; the powers of the Sun and all that is good were racking his body with convulsions. "You will not win!" He gasped. "My revenge will not be stopped by my death." He trembled. "You cannot stop the Shadows." He twitched, curling into the fetal position. "Go to the lone island on the sea, if you want to save your people."  
  
K'aopira body began to glow and a fierce light shot out of his eyes. The bird stiffened on the ground, then screeched a pathetic howl of agony. Brilliant beams of light broke through the feathers. The brightened silhouette of the owl dissolved into the light. Link's mind suddenly flashed to thoughts of his noble owl friend who flew the skies of Hyrule, before the evil was cleansed.  
  
His head shot up. "Navi!" Link yelled. "Navi, are you alright?"  
  
"Over here, Link." She fluttered off the ground and towards him. "I think I'm ok."  
  
"Thank goodness. We have to go the sea, and hurry!"  
  
This was not his land; these were not his people. The Hero of Time and a yellow fairy he had met mere days before turned their backs on the battlefield and rushed away. 


	12. Eleven: Clouds Billow

Chapter 11: Clouds Billow  
  
A strong breeze blew, chopping the white foam and carrying the biting smell of salt. The wind began to howl, throwing up sand from the beach. A sudden torrent of rain flashed down, then passed as quickly as it had come. Lightning struck; black clouds billowed; the sun was constantly blocked by huge thunderheads. A sudden wave struck the shore sending up a tall blast of foam. Another sheet of hard rain passed. The perpetual storm raged.  
  
"This is horrible!" she yelled, her voice being mostly drowned by the storm.  
  
On the sand, green clothes flapping in the wind, stood the hero, drenched by rain and waves.  
  
"Remember when we came here, Link?" Navi shouted. "It was peaceful and beautiful!" A giant wave crashed, whipped by the wind, spraying them with froth. "What could have happened in a few months? I can't even see the sun!"  
  
Link's gaze had fallen out into the bay and onto the rocky island. "Maybe that has something to do with it!" he yelled and pointed, a flurry of lightning struck as his finger rose.  
  
"You feel it too?" she fluttered around him. "There's something very dark there that wasn't there before!" Thunder crashed.  
  
"Right!" he shouted, "but how do we get there?"  
  
The fairy sat for a second, and then quickly jumped up and down. "I know a way! A passage beneath the ocean!" she told him, her tiny voice just discernible above the raging gale. "It's over there!"  
  
Link hopped of the last ring of the ladder, dropping to the dirt floor. He looked up through the vertical tunnel, and up to the round stone enclosure on the beach. [It sure seems like a well to me,] he though.  
  
"This way!" Navi yelled off to the side.  
  
Dark, dank, spooky; all described the tunnel that he now looked down. Link couldn't make out anything more than twenty feet into the gloom, and the shadows fell far further. The only thing that disturbed the forbidding silence was intermittent, steady dripping.  
  
"Mido told me once that this place is haunted," Navi stated.  
  
"Mido?" They were away from the deafening storm and could talk without yelling.  
  
"Yeah, he knows, like everything. But it's mostly just stories."  
  
"Well, he might be right about this place."  
  
"Yeah." She shivered. "Let's get going. I wanna get out of here."  
  
Link nodded and began to walk forward.  
  
Drip...drip...drip.  
  
Water fell from the ceiling, hitting the ground in puddles.  
  
Drip.  
  
A spider scurried along a wall.  
  
Drip.  
  
A dank puddle rippled with another drop.  
  
Drip.  
  
In a particularly dark corner, several creatures huddled, crouched with their arms hanging. They breathed in heavy, gasping breaths. One groaned, absentmindedly chewing on a dead fish.  
  
Drip.  
  
"K'aopira never said how cute you are, hero." The image of Link and Navi walking swirled on a puddle of water high in the tower. "You'll not be so handsome when they're done with you, now will you? Now, my pathetic minions...rise! You'll feast tonight." A roll of thunder and lightning crashed.  
  
The incessant falling water was starting to get to Link and his fairy. He strode onward, his eyes, and to a much greater extent his ears, were intently alert in the darkness. Navi was staying near to his head, fluttering immediately to look towards anything she though moved, jumping at every shadow.  
  
"What's that!" she whispered and flittered around his head nervously. "Did you hear that?"  
  
"Let's keep going," he replied.  
  
She flew behind him. "I know there's something." She looked around intently. "YAHHHH!"  
  
Link stopped, spun, and drew his sword in the same fluid motion. His heart was out of control as he looked around wildly, searching for the threat.  
  
"Oh, It's just a dead fish. Eww, and it's been gnawed on!" Link sheathed his blade and they walked to the rotting animal.  
  
"Navi," said Link, "that fish couldn't get here on its own. What would have brought it?" They looked at each other. Link started jogging down the tunnel.  
  
Sccrape.  
  
Drip.  
  
Link rushed on.  
  
Sccrape.  
  
Drip-drop.  
  
The nervous boy ran.  
  
Sccrape.  
  
Drip.  
  
The fairy was more exceedingly anxious.  
  
"Groooan."  
  
Both Link and Navi stopped short. "What was that?" Navi asked quickly. "It seemed close!" She fluttered, jitterier than ever. Link brought out his sword and shield, eyes dancing over their surroundings.  
  
Sccccrape!  
  
They jumped around. Immediately next to them stood the fiend, the source of the groan. Link swung his arm. The creature's dry brown skin was shriveled to its frail bones; its mouth was open in a skeletal slack. The hero's sword completed its hard swing, coming down on the monster. It crumpled to the ground.  
  
"What...what is that thing?" Navi, badly shaken, asked Link.  
  
"I-i-it's a Redead. I hate those things!" Link screamed in fearful energy.  
  
"I can see why. Just look at it," the fairy offered. They stepped forward for a closer inspection. Link saw the dreadful monster's head.  
  
'By the goddesses!" Attached to the back of the shrunken head was a tail with two flipper flukes. Tattered and broken fans hang from its brown arms. "It's a Zora!"  
  
Navi and Link could not even speak. They stood contemplating how this noble creature had come to be this way. Another groan came from down the tunnel from whence they had come. Without a word, Link sprinted away towards their fateful destination.  
  
Breathless, Link stood at the bottom of a great spiral staircase. The stone steps wound up the walls of the tower. From the ceiling of this tall room to the large hole in the middle of the floor, the whole center of the room was empty. Link kicked a pebble down the abyss; it took half a minute before he heard a sound from the bottom.  
  
"Link, I can feel the waves of darkness coming from above. But it feels different than the owl did. Less...rational, and more...abnormal, I you know what I mean."  
  
"You're right. Let's go." Thunder boomed through the tower. They started up the stairs. Link plodded up and up and up. They stone was black, and, in some places, slippery. They went around and around and around.  
  
"Well here's the door." Navi commented.  
  
The door. Made of black stone, it stood between them and the only room of the tower. They approached, and the gate scraped and slid into the wall. A blast of wind howled in through the windows. In the center of the round room was a circular council table. The little light that came through the clouds and though the windows did little to alleviate the shadows that shrouded the room in darkness.  
  
"So the hero has come," a voice mocked. The sound came from an exceptionally dark shade by the far wall. Two eyes slowly opened and looked up. Cool, calculating, arrogant, piercing, and with a small hint of unbridled insane anger, their calm evil bored into Link.  
  
"Do you fear for your people, boy?" it asked. "The shadows are nearly upon them. And you, their mighty hero, can do nothing." The figure laughed haughtily, thunder boomed, and she stepped out of the shadows.  
  
A blue-green and speckled skin graced her slender frame. The majestic crest upon her head accented her sleek, oceanic beauty. Flipper-fans stood proudly on her arms and back."  
  
"I am Ruta. I am queen of the Zora!"  
  
A particular nuance of her body, her eyes, her voice, her movement made Link think only of arrogant evil. 


	13. Twelve: Waves Pound

Chapter 12: Waves Pound  
  
Thunder Crashed. Lightning struck. The wind shrieked. Link faced the Zora and thought.  
  
"It was you!" Link realized. "You did...that to your own people!" he accused. "Why did you betray them in such a disgusting way?"  
  
"Did you not hear me, boy, or has your fairy's stupidity started to wear off?" Ruta said, smiling a dark smile. Wind howled through the room.  
  
"Hey!" Navi shouted.  
  
"I am queen. I do what I want with my subjects. No, my minions." She laughed a quick chuckle; a sheet of rain pounded the tower.  
  
"Today your evil ends, queen," Link answered. He drew his golden blade. "This land must be made safe."  
  
"Yeah!" Navi yelled. "You're gonna get it, Miss Stupid!"  
  
"Very well," the Zora grinned; lightning illuminated the entire chamber. Link looked around quickly, surprised. The sky flashed again and he saw that there were Zora Redeads in every shadow, by every wall.  
  
"Get ready Navi!" Link rushed the first one while Ruta laughed long and hard, lightning and thunder rolling over the bay.  
  
The hero swung his sword, being careful to avoid the monster's hungry grasp. In the greater illumination of the tower, the partners saw that these creatures of death were truly grotesque. They dragged their shrunken feet, and groaned in undead agony. Their brown skin still showed the characteristic markings of the Zora, and they could see the outline of every bone. Link slay another. Their once strong head-tails hung with no hope for revival. More and more plodded towards Link. They were getting closer; the stench became greater. Their torn and ragged swimming-fans were brown and useless. The hungry, moaning beasts surrounded Link as he swung again, cracking already dead bone. The groaning was all around.  
  
Link looked up, and then quickly swung his sword through the air, continuing the swing and spinning his body. Red-orange bursts of magic flung off his flying blade. They sparked through the air in revolving waves around the hero. Link stopped, and looked around. Every one of the beasts was struck down. He looked towards Ruta, taunting her with his raised eyebrows.  
  
Her eyes flashed in furious anger. Great waves crashed, lighting struck, and thunder shook the entire tower. Then, the queen of evil regained her composure and smiled evilly.  
  
"You are worthy, hero. Worthy of being defeated by me!" The Zora fluidly leaped onto the round table in the center of the room, landing on one strong leg. She pulled the other leg around and held it out to the side with perfect balance. She moved her quick arms around each other in karate- like poses. Then, Ruta brought her leg down and bent her knees in a strong stance. On her upraised arms, the swimming fans snapped forward; they became like hard and sharp blades.  
  
The short child followed suit by climbing to the table, sword and shield in hand. He got his feet ready to move and jump, and concentrated only on the tall figure in front of him. He pulled his sword through the air in a few tricky swipes and poses, matching Ruta's show of skill.  
  
"Navi," he whispered, "stay by her. Watch for weakness, and tell me if you see a chance to strike." The fairy shook up and down in agreement. She fluttered her wings to ready herself for quick flight.  
  
The boy and woman began to circle one another, further sizing each other up. Link held his shield tightly; Ruta swished her fan-blades through the air. She stopped and threw her head back to laugh heartily, with arrogance and malice. Thunder rolled outside.  
  
"You are doomed, oh great hero of heroes!" Ruta jumped towards Link, bringing her blades down in a great arc while he back flipped out of their path. 


	14. Thirteen: Lightning Strikes

Chapter 13: Lightning Strikes  
  
Link could barely raise his shield before Ruta had regained her footing and swiftly swung bother her arms across his front, pulling the sharp blades outwards across his shield. Link brought his sword forward as she followed through, but the woman had flipped back before his swinging blade reached her.  
  
Ruta stood with her legs apart, knees bent, on leg stretched towards Link. She coked one arm near her head; the other she brought out straight, blade pointing at the hero, palm up.  
  
"Come, boy. See if you can hit me." Link moved back and forth in front of her. Navi continued to fly around the room, studying every detail. The hero jumped in, thrusting. The evil fighter blocked with a fan-blade, then brought the other through a swing, which Link blocked by swinging his shield up towards it. They both back flipped away from the scuffle, and started circling again. A upheaval of thunder boomed. Lightning struck very close to the window Link was facing. He closed his eyes to the brightness. In that brief moment, Ruta struck; swinging a blade that knocked Link back, almost off the tabletop.  
  
"The great hero has been struck," she pulled herself into a proper stance. "Does the little boy need a bandage?" Ruta laughed and a flurry of rain answered her.  
  
Link saw red. [What could have happened that made this...this...witch so evil?] He asked himself. Then Link brought his mind to the reality of battle and calmed his anger. He got to his feat quickly, and coolly approached the arrogant queen of evil.  
  
Ruta smiled again, then prepared for his strike. He came in close, and then swung his sword. She effortlessly blocked and swung her other arm. Link hopped to the side away from the blade, then pulled his own sword through a vertical cut. Ruta fanned out her blade and blocked as with a shield, bringing her other bladed arm straight down.  
  
The boy jumped back the other way instead of blocking, and thrust up towards the Zora's side. She through continued her downward swing around behind to knock the deadly blade away. A great wave crashed on the rocks below. She spun around, carrying a blade to Link's upraised shield with the momentum. She quickly brought down the other arm, which Link parried. Ruta smoothly continued with swings and thrusts, stepping forward with each lunge. Link blocked, shield, sword, shield, sword; being driven towards the edge of the table. The furious assault continued until Ruta brought both fan-blades down and together. Link blocked and held them up with his sword.  
  
The Zora lifted her strong leg with lightning speed and struck the side of Link's shield. The straps unfastened with the force of the kick and it flew from his arm. A flash of lightning showed the great Mirror Shield flying through the air. It clattered to the floor far away.  
  
Link and Ruta still stood, his sword locked with her blades. He jerked his sword straight down, unlocking the stalemate, and ducked below the swipe. He rolled away; the woman spun and regained her stance. Link grasped his golden sword with both hands and pulled himself into a two-hander's pose.  
  
"The hero is still ready! Can he keep up with this?" the Zora taunted, and fanned out her blades, then pulled them back sharp.  
  
"Ok, Link," Navi had fluttered back. "I've looked hard, but the only way I can see to win is to grow another arm," she vainly joked.  
  
"You're right," he agreed. "She's too skilled to be beaten with swordplay alone. Try to distract her when the time comes, I've got an idea." 


	15. Vierzehn: The Tempest

Chapter 14: The Tempest  
  
Link turned again to the blue figure. Ruta had taken a balanced pose with her fan-blades crossed.  
  
"Are you ready for the oblivion, hero?" she taunted, her eyes closed. A roll of thunder rocked the tower. "Come to me!"  
  
Link ran and swung mightily; she blocked with both arms, her eyes snapping open and flashing with insanity. Link brought his sword around and blocked her counter-strike. He swung down to one side, and then the other, still being blocked by furiously flying and always controlled blades. Ruta swung twice in quick succession, and he pulled his sword through a block of both attacks, then thrust. Ruta parried and pushed one blade against his, holding his sword.  
  
They pushed against each other for a few tense moments, and then she swung her other arm towards his legs. Link pivoted his sword down to protect himself from the swinging blade, loosing his lock on her arm. As sword crashed against blade, he ducked under the free arm's swing. He hopped to the side away from another swing. He was greeted by a viciously hard blade- tipped uppercut, and back-flipped away, quickly parrying another thrust when he landed.  
  
This could not continue for Link. Even with his immense skill, Ruta's double blades, strength, and unbelievable quickness were too much. Link had been developing a faint idea of what could stop her, but he had no idea if it could possibly work. He had to try it; he was desperate. If he failed to defeat the deranged queen, the entire land was doomed, and at this rate, he was bound to slip up soon.  
  
"Go! Navi," he yelled, "it's time!" He backed away from Ruta. The fairy fluttered in and slammed her body against the Zora's head. A clap of thunder sounded outside. Navi fluttered quickly around, swiftly evading the swats of the blades. Ruta screamed horribly, and tried to hit the fairy as gusts of wind blew torrents of rain through the windows. The fairy moved in from of Ruta's eyes, fluttering up and down, glowing as brightly as she could.  
  
[I hope this works,] Link thought. He struggled to remember the magical notes that he wouldn't learn for seven years. Time was confusing indeed, but the sounds and finger positions of the song instantly bubbled into Link's mind.  
  
When the little yellow dot finally moved away, Ruta could see the young boy with his sword sheathed and a strange blue flute to his lips. She chuckled and began to advance on him when Link blew the first note. His breath whistled through the ocarina and flowed out into the air. Three quick notes flew through the air and took on magical airs. Another three notes came out and into Ruta's mind. She felt thunder boom, but it was not her own.  
  
"Yeaaaaaaaaaahhh!" Ruta screamed.  
  
[It's working,] Link thought. [The Song of Storms is working!]  
  
As he played more notes, the music wrapped around and around the tall blue- green creature. She gripped her head and yelled as a sudden chaotic sound came from outside. It was as if two storms were competing for superiority, and trying to match each other's crashing thunder, driving rain, and howling wind. Ruta's screams and shaking matched the sounds and feel of the cataclysm of storms.  
  
As the crashing thunder came to a crescendo, Ruta looked up, her blue eyes shining with rage and insanity. She jumped cart wheeled backward off the table and raised her arms to the sky. Sensing the trouble, Link stopped playing and turned get away from where they were standing. Just as he leaped from the edge of the table, a great bolt of lighting struck the tower, blowing the stone roof apart. The incredible energy of the blast blew fragments into the table, which cracked and drove into the floor.  
  
The black stone crumbled, and the fragments of table, roof, and stone fell through. Link backed away on the ground to more solid ground on the edge of the room. He looked around for the Zora, and saw her leap into the air, turning into a graceful dive through the floor. He rushed to the edge to see her follow the crumbled rocks into the great abyss in the floor.  
  
Link wildly ran to his shield, grabbed the shining metal circle, and ran for the edge. Before Navi could even protest, he jumped and plunged through the tower and then the darkness of the pit.  
  
Splash!  
  
Link had fallen into a deep pool, plunging nearly to the bottom. His head popped above the surface, greeted by rain falling from far above. He spotted a square and quite unnatural island, and swam towards it.  
  
"Link! Watch out!" Navi had been flying straight down as fast as the her light wings could, and had just gotten into the watery room.  
  
Link heeded her warning, but could do nothing but take a deep breath as he felt a hand grab him. He was pulled under swiftly by the strong Zora. Ruta was the better swimmer, but Link fought to free himself. They struggled underwater, Link thinking of only getting to the air. He finally reached his sword and struck out, scoring a glancing blow that caused Ruta to let go.  
  
He came to the surface, already out of breath, and swam as fast as a boy had ever swam. Reaching the island, he pulled himself up and sprawled out, nearly exhausted.  
  
"Com'on, Link!" Navi urged. "Get up, quick!" He pulled himself over and stood up, looking around.  
  
[Ok, think Gyrog. This is just like Gyrog,] he reasoned to himself quickly. [I need arrows.] He pulled out his bow.  
  
"Navi look for her!" The fairy rushed over the water, with more with more fearlessness then Link though existed in the little yellow dot he had met only a few days before.  
  
As he and his fairy searched, the dolphin-like woman silently slid out of the water behind them. A flash of lightning shone down to the chamber.  
  
"Hero!" Ruta yelled. Link spun and wildly shot an arrow in her direction while she swung her arm. Drops of water were flung towards him, pushed by blue streams of a magic attack. Link could not even dodge before the attack hit him and knocked him back. He got up; Ruta had already renumbered.  
  
[Forget arrows and go with the shield, Link,] he told himself, pushing the pain of the watery magic out of his mind. He got ready and looked around again.  
  
A splash; behind him! He spun and instinctively held out his shield. The magic hit it and was absorbed by the magically mirrored surface.  
  
Thunder boomed from above. Ruta jumped out of the water and landed on her feat in front of Link. He drew his sword. The queen of the Zora's eyes flashed with pure insane rage. He swimming fans condensed into blades.  
  
Link swung his sword; Ruta swung her arm with all her anger-built strength and it flew out of Link's hand, clattering over the floor. She walked towards him with enraged purpose.  
  
"You dare try and take my attack?" Thunder crashed above. "Do you wish to attack me with it?" Hail began to fall "You come to defeat me, but hide behind your puny shield!" Lightning flashed again and again. "It's time you were done away with," the queen said with menace. A great roll of thunder boomed down the tunnel. Ruta's eyes radiated pure insanity.  
  
She swung her blades twice; Link blocked with his shield both times. She continued to pound him; Link continued to protect himself from the violent, vicious strikes. She brought down both arms straight down at once, and he had to brace with both arms to prevent being knocked off his feet.  
  
Link's mind raced as she raised her fan-blades again. Link quickly rolled between her legs, and stood up behind her. Ruta slowly, ominously turned around.  
  
He spoke, "The tempest rages in your mind, doesn't it princes...queen?" He pulled out the Ocarina of Time. "It's time the sun shone through the storm that clouds your thoughts."  
  
Link blew into the blue flute. Three notes flowed into the room, then the same three again. Link looked up. Ruta was standing above him, blades ready, but her face was frozen and twitching.  
  
The dark clouds that covered the sky still belched thunder and rain, but soon the downpour stopped. The clouds lightened in a spot above the tower, and then split. A long-needed beam of sunlight burst through. The beam continued through the broken roof of the tower. In the tower room, the bodies of the twice-dead Zoras burned away in the light. The bright beam shone through the vertical tunnel and onto Ruta's body, leaving no shadows. It shone and shone. Out of her eyes shot light, and she tossed her head around in crazed stupor. Her body spasmed. She threw her head back, and fell to her knees. The light faded to a gentle glow that illuminated the entire chamber. Ruta started sobbing.  
  
"My people," she gasped through the tears. "I have betrayed you." She sat and sobbed for a long moment, then looked up.  
  
"You! Hero!" Link tensed, ready for anything. "You have cleansed the tempest that cursed my mind. Now go! Go to the forest and save your people, while...you...still...can." She broke down and burst into wild tears, waving her arm at Link. As a teleportation crystal enveloped him and Navi, he heard Ruta wail in painful loneliness.  
  
They were on the beach again, Links sword back in his hand. The sun shone brightly and not a cloud blemished the deep blue sky. But the entire sea was empty. Nothing stirred in the beautiful scene.  
  
At the bottom of her tower sat a queen who would have no people to rule, for she had destroyed them with the cursed thirst for power. 


	16. Fifteen: The People Havn't Hope

Chapter 15: The People Haven't Hope  
  
"Mommy!" The small child sat on the wood floor of the Deku Tree. Confusion and panic had erupted suddenly around him and his mother was pushed away. The surging sea of panicked Kokiri and Deku moved against her efforts to push her way towards her son.  
  
"Mommy!"  
  
The people hiding inside ran away form the front of the tree, trying to get to higher ground. The mouth of the Deku tree had been forced open moments before. The mother still could not get through the throng to her child. Dark plants began to plod towards the fearful peoples. Shadows slid and slinked towards them.  
  
"Mommy!"  
  
Link stared into the trees at the edge of the forest. The great trunks and leafy canopy looked peaceful enough. He silently hoped that K'aopira's threats and Ruta's grim foretellings were just meant to frighten him. [If only there was some noise,] he thought. [It's like all the animals are afraid of...something.]  
  
Link and Navi moved into the forest, hurrying, but alert. They jogged past trees, which seemed to extend past their vision into the high treetops. They ducked through thick trunks, ever watchful for threats. After a while, they stopped; something had fallen to the ground with a thunk behind them. Link spun and drew his sword.  
  
"Nice to see you again, kid," the Gerudo greeted, looking none the worse for wear. Link sheathed his blade. "I trust the owl is taken care of?"  
  
"Yeah!" Navi jumped in. "WE took him out. And, we got to Ruta in her tower, and Link was able to shine the sun down at her, and the storm stopped!"  
  
Banooru gave Link a look; he shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "She's right," he said, "the Zora Queen's mind was clouded by a cursed insanity. And the owl is gone forever."  
  
"That's very good," said the Gerudo High Priestess. "Now that the owl is gone, I thought the Shadows would stop. Who do you think is controlling them now?"  
  
Link and Navi glanced at each other, thinking for the first time about the "who" instead of the "what to do."  
  
"Ruta said we had to come to the forest to save the Kokiri," Navi stated. "But it doesn't matter who! We'll take 'em out, and put everything back to the way it was!" Link nodded, and Banooru gave silent recognition to the fairy's bravery. The three turned again and ran towards the village.  
  
Drawing closer to the center of the forest, evidence of evil became clearer. Plants wandered aimlessly and a few Shadows slithered around. Not one bird chirped in the time of crisis.  
  
Two walking Deku Babas came upon the heroes. Banooru drew her twin scimitars; Link's blade shone in the dim forest light. The swordfighters immediately moved into fighting positions and circled the slow plants from opposite directions, boxing them in. They blocked any lunges and bites with shield and crossed blade. The boy and woman struck simultaneously, trimming the flowers at the stems. They ran on.  
  
Walking through the hollow log, they felt the grave emptiness of the Kokiri village. No children sat playing, no fairies fluttered around idly, and no sounds of living came from any of the tree houses. On the far end of the vast clearing, the Deku Tree stood, it's door opened into blackness.  
  
"They'll be in there," Navi volunteered, "I think they'd hide in the Deku Tree, only someone hasn't closed the door. I wonder what that means." The statement implied evil in its simplicity. They all knew that the great tree would be the Kokiri's last refuge against evil. They people of the forest were the only race of the world of Somare left untouched by the Shadows, and they were nowhere to be found.  
  
"We'd better go there," said Banooru, and Link led the way.  
  
They were close to the tree when a Shadow slid onto the path behind them. Navi observed it quickly, and jingled for their attention. Banooru drew her blades and backed away, afraid. Link thought quickly, and strung an arrow. He enchanted it with light and shot. The quick dart struck the creature, and the darkness on the ground shriveled. As the black thing dissolved, the silence of the empty forest drove them to press on.  
  
After dispatching another Shadow and a few more guarding plants, the boy, woman, and fairy arrived in front of the great door into the Deku Tree. They slowly walked into the shadowy interior, swords drawn. The silence took on a spooky echo as they looked around.  
  
"Empty," said Navi. They were discouraged, and turned to leave and search elsewhere.  
  
"Link!" a voice interrupted. "Navi!" it yelled softly from above. They looked up and saw a face peeping over the edge of the first platform. They ran over, and a wooden ladder was dropped down. Beginning to climb, they saw that it was the face of Mido.  
  
Navi fluttered up as Link and Banooru climbed off the ladder. "What happened to everyone," the fairy asked.  
  
The forest boy ignored the question and stared at the tall woman, intrigued by the Gerudo, whose race was supposed to be long gone. When the brown woman matched his gazed, he looked away to Link. The hero felt his strong eyes boring into him. Mido seemed just like the boy who lived in Hyrule, even down to the way his hair fluffed. Their eyes met.  
  
"You're...you're not Link, are you?" Mido asked. Link held his gaze for another moment, understanding exactly what he meant, then looked to the ground, shaking his head.  
  
"No. I'm not the Link that's lived here; I'm just a visitor." Navi floated around, slightly awestruck. He raised his eyes again into Mido's gaze. Banooru looked apathetically curious as to what the young hero could mean.  
  
They stared at each other some more, gave a curt nod. Understanding that Link was here to be the hero, he turned his gaze toward the top of the tree. The scruffy child of the forest had an uncertain waiver in his eyes. "She is the traitor," his voice held a tone of anger. "She's the leader of the Shadows. She unsealed the entrance to them."  
  
He looked again at Link. "She's the evil one that's commanding the tempests, I could tell. She betrayed Kokiri to the Shadows." He looked again at the top of the tree, past the many vines and spiraling platforms. His voice cracked. "It was Sarie."  
  
Link had his turn to stare into Mido. [No,] he thought. [How could it be her?] Navi alighted on his shoulder, her wings drooping. "How could Sarie..." the fairy mournfully trailed off.  
  
Banooru, who had been silent, closed her eyes in remembrance, and began reciting. " The leader of good, commands the storm; The day has come, the people havn't hope; The evil rears, some righteous fall; The day has come, the hero is dark; The day has come, the sky is dark, the world is covered in the Shadows of darkness, and nothing escapes the shades," She finished. "The Rahuhlja K'tamhet is that ancient prophecy."  
  
"That's like Shadow's Mirikiri," Mido said thoughtfully. "The inflow of Shadows that's coming true today," he said turning upward.  
  
"Does that mean Sarie is...?" Navi asked.  
  
"Yes, she's part of the prophecy," said Link. "We've got to go now. The sky is too dark." He turned and started jogging towards the next floor. The truthfulness of their conversation sank into all their minds, and Navi and Banooru quickly followed him. Mido stayed behind, watching them go.  
  
The spooky silence ran through their minds as Link and Banooru gripped overgrown vines and pulled themselves further upward the inside of the tree- trunk. As they reached the top of the wall, Navi spoke up.  
  
"How long have you been here, Link?" she pronounced his name with uncertainty. He stopped and looked at her, understanding what she really wanted to know.  
  
"Right before we met the owl I came, just before you came and found me," he answered.  
  
"Oh." She flapped her wing melancholy. Link and Banooru resumed running after another moment's thoughts.  
  
A giant skull-spider dropped off the ceiling, rudely interrupting their trek. Both fighters drew their blades, and circled from opposite sides. The eight-legged bug spun on its thread, trying to track both dangers with its small brain. Moving behind it, Link quickly thrust towards the underbelly, but it quickly spun, deflecting the hit on its hard front. Banooru quickly strut its exposed weak-spot both her scimitars, killing it. They were running towards the last door before the crumpled body hit the ground.  
  
"The hero is dark," Mido whispered, hearing the door open. [But what does that mean?] he questioned himself. 


	17. Sixteen: The Evil Rears

Chapter 16: The Evil Rears  
  
The wooden construction grew out of the floor of the large chamber at the peak of the Deku Tree. The man branches twisted tightly together to form a great chair. Many cruel and curved spikes jutted out form the back and sides of the chair. An air of shadow and evil sat stagnant in the room, deepening near her.  
  
The door at the other end opened; two figures stepped through and stood strong. The wooden slab slammed shut after the little fairy fluttered through. It echoed up to her. Her head bowed, her arms folded in her lap. The girl of Shadow, still dressed in gay green, had her eyes closed.  
  
The boy hero and woman drew their blades and took stances.  
  
The evil atmosphere of the room shook as she opened her eyes. They shone of a deep red, and the evilness ran deep through her entire person, shining and crackling of shadow.  
  
Their gazed pierced the heroes, and the scene was erased from their eyes.  
  
Link suddenly was in the forest. Jolts of pain sunk into his body. His bones ached of evil. The owl hooted. Feel the shadows. He found himself in the desert. Thousands of evil orange crow eyes glared down at him from the humongous tree. My reach is everywhere. The large insect swung its sharp legs and slashed Link. He fell to the stone ground. The Shadows defile all places of good. A metal monster leaped over his head. Its great sword struck Link down as the boy tried vainly to hit the beast. My minions are more powerful and intelligent. Waves of heat passed over his body, chased by shivers of extreme cold. You are not stronger than the elements of darkness. An arrow struck the bird, but its light did not even penetrate the Shadows. The light is weakened against me. The foul stench overpowered him. He swung his sword, forced to slay those who where noble and most alike to his own friends. The Shadows cloud all they grasp. A bolt of lighting froze the image of his shield in the air, sailing away from his grasp. Your protection is gone. Blades flashed over and over towards him, being driven with insane force. The Shadows consume all you know. A tiny body cried for his mother. A figure shrouded in shadow laughed heartily at the torment. I destroy.  
  
A very distressing image flashed over Link's mind. He saw himself fall, struck down by the claws of a wild forest beast. The Kokiri Knife dropped from his hand. The courageous boy did not stir from the ground. Now you see. You came here in hope of saving this land, but you don't realized that the Shadows already have control of Somare. It is mine.  
  
Link's vision flashed back to the inside of the Deku Tree. Sarie's eyes still shone of evil. She was not the girl who was Link's greatest friend. She had done that to his mind, just to hurt him. She smiled. "I killed you once, hero, and the Shadows are strong enough to do it again."  
  
Both Link and Banooru's knees gave out. They dropped to the ground, weak from the mental assault. Navi fluttered above, worried, but untouched.  
  
"It was her," Banooru whispered, her face towards the floor. "My sisters...where are you?" She pulled herself up to one knee. "She scattered and killed my people all those years ago," the Gerudo spoke softly to no one at all, showing more sadness than ever before. "And she has the nerve to show me." She got to her feet and pulled out her blades.  
  
Speaking out, Banooru cried to the girl in anger, "The Shadows shall die today!" Link stood next to her, his blade matching hers, his courage undaunted.  
  
Sarie began to giggle with girlish charms, but the darkness shone brighter from her deepest being. The short child of the forest, who rebelled and destroyed, floated off the chair. Her evil flowed. Sarie brought her arms up and threw her head back. She clasped her hands together, and then brought them apart. A sparkling black ball of shadow formed between them.  
  
Link knew that his blade could deflect the magical attack, which was not much different than the magic of the King of Evil, whom he had defeated. Sarie pitched the ball of shadow magic towards them and it flew straight across the room. Link waited, hoping for luck to be on the side of the batter. He timed his swing and it connected squarely.  
  
The arcane energy sputtered and smashed against the far wall of the tree. Sarie balked, floating above her evil seat, but quickly formed another ball. She sent the magic towards them.  
  
Link was ready again and swung his blade at the proper time, but the animated ball flipped past and around his sword and assailed towards Banooru. The Gerudo couldn't get out of its way and was struck. Blackness flashed over her body and she fell. Another ball of shadows was already flying towards Link and he wanted to help his new friend. He hit away the magic, but the onslaught continued. The globes became more violent and chaotic; each threatened to wrench away Link's concentration. 


	18. Seventeen: The Hero is Dark

Chapter 17: The Hero is Dark  
  
Link kept at the continual onslaught. He batted away dark magic balls. He hit away one, then took careful aim of another. [For Banooru and the Gerudo,] he screamed in his head, and swung the Gilded Sword in a mighty downward arc. The sparking ball flew swiftly, straight for Sarie. [For the Zora!] His missile blasted through an oncoming dark globe. It struck the girl and she fell to the ground. [For the Kokiri,] he though with a smoldering passion, and stood up straight.  
  
"Banooru's still alive," Navi reported. The fairy fluttered around; Sarie was still on the ground. "Now you're gonna need the light, Link," she called, remembering the battles with the evil owl.  
  
At her words, Link's mind suddenly flashed back to a few long days ago. 'You're gonna need it, geh heh heh.' His thoughts came together. The events suddenly made perfect sense. He threw his satchel on the ground and began to dig through it.  
  
"What are you doing?" Navi screamed squeakily. Sarie had begun to get up. "Use your bow to shoot an arrow of light!"  
  
"No," Link stated, pulling an object out of his bad. "The day has come," he quoted the prophecy of the Gerudo. He brought the Mask of Shadow to his face. "And the hero is dark." He slipped the pure black mask onto his face.  
  
Nothing happened. Sarie began to float into the air again. He felt a small voice in his head, the voice of the Shadows he had slain to get the mask. [It's singing a chorus,] he thought.  
  
Sarie was menacingly floating around, thinking up the best way to revenge herself. Link brought the Ocarina of Time to his lips. The notes he played flowed from the instrument and fell with a hollow, empty tone. As the Chorus of Shadow progressed, the tune he had learned from Ganondorf, who was sent to him in the vision a few days before, began to take on new voices. The evil was called to him and flowed through the wind of the instrument.  
  
As the song came to its abrupt end and Link stopped playing, he heard it continued. A myriad of voices sang in his head. His mind was filled with the others' songs as darkness flowed from the mask and enveloped his body. He slowly floated up into the magical cloud of darkness that was forming.  
  
Link began to hear certain recognizable voices over the choir. Ganondorf's booming tenor sang his evil solo, and Link felt the Gerudo's magic flow into his body. He heard the spooky voice of Gomez the reaper sing out. A long black cloak formed over his body. Link heard a shrill, screaming voice of Majora cry out of the chorus. Tentacles of its wrath shot out and enveloped his sword, twisting around, forming into a larger, sharper, broader blade that glinted with blackness. He heard a roll of thunder and howl of wind, representing the tempest that filled the Queen of the Zora's mind. A swimming fan appeared on his other arm, then flipped around and stretched into a black shield with sharp proportions. The hooting of K'aopira caused sparks of arcane darkness to crackle over his body. The nearly silent voice of the Shadow who was inside the mask somehow drowned out the others and Link's eyes turned blank and pure black. The chorus continued and Link's mind was enveloped completely in the control of the evil.  
  
The dark cloud cleared and the dark hero dropped to the ground. He was devoid of reasoning as his eyes were of color. A new creature stood; a compilation of all the evil that was singing inside its head. Sarie floated, seemingly unfazed by the enormous change in her opponent.  
  
The specter of what was Link stepped forward and swished its sword through the air. He it swing the blackened blade mightily through the air towards Sarie. 


	19. Eighteen: Shadows Walk, Shadows Fall

Chapter 18: Shadow walks, Shadows fall  
  
Sarie was puzzled at what had happened to Link. She knew she set up for the most courageous of her "subjects," and her biggest threat, to become the people's hero, and then their martyr. The way would then be clear for the Shadows inundation. But then this other person had come, a stronger reflection of her dead pawn, a hero with the Light on his side and a penchant for slaying the darkness. He had destroyed her revengeful partner and calmed the brainwashed Zora. He freed the Gerudo priestess, and had stood strong against the flood of his own fears and failings. And now the hero of light stood with a consuming aura of shadow. Sarie kept her magical senses and attacks on high awareness.  
  
Of the tip of the shadow of Link's swinging sword flew a pitch-black sphere. The magical black hole flew straight for the childish-appearing monster, tracking her movements. Sarie tried ducking under the slow-moving projectile, but it turned and struck her. The magic stuck to her body like a sticky sap, and spread, covering her green clothes with a black tar.  
  
Link, mindless with the chorus of shadows, threw his arms out and thrust his chest forward. The crackling sparks of shadow that arced over his body intensified. The owl's evil leapt off his cloak, tracking towards the black hole. Dark bolts of arcane lightning struck out, and struck again, jolting Sarie, and then blowing her to the ground.  
  
The shadowy enemy straightened its posture and strode towards the other side of the room. Its black cloak still sparked with magic as it flowed about its legs. Its eyes were black as night and blank as a starless sky.  
  
Sarie stood up, infuriated. Her eyes screamed violence, and screamed of the magnitude rage and evil. The girl, whose clothes were slightly singed, but otherwise untouched, raised her arms. A fluidic crystal formed in the air above her, sparkling and shining darkly. Link's shadowy from still strode purposefully towards her. The crystal of evil magic flew, pointed and sharp, at the oncoming enemy.  
  
The mix-and-matched creature of shadows raised its cruel shield and the crystal crashed, shattering into many pieces. The useless shards fell to the ground as it strode over them. The splinters of crystal melted and dissolved as the figure strode over them.  
  
Sarie began to backpedal away, forming another incantation. The figure's eyes were still blank. Sarie summoned a Shadow in between her and the advancing enemy. The reflection of all the evil that Link had defeated simply tread over its slinking form. The inky dark shape was absorbed into the black, iron-shod boots.  
  
The shadowy figure reached the evil Sarie and swung its sword. The small leader of darkness raised her hands and a magic shield solidified that stopped the attack. The shadow followed through and brought the cruel sword around and down again.  
  
Sarie blocked, and backed away. She was not expecting a melee so she was only prepared to best strike with her dark missiles. However, the strong fighter in front of her did not afford a chance. It struck again, harder. She blocked, but could feel her control on the magic slipping. Sarie tried to hold the glowing magic shield through another hard swing. It did not break through her sheer force of mind, but barely.  
  
Link stepped back, mindless and controlled by the evils singing in his head. Sarie stood up as they held the sword towards the ceiling with both hands. The corrupt child of the forest struggled desperately to pull another spell from her arcane energies as it raised the blade higher. Sarie helplessly abandoned the incantation and raised her arms as the sword fell towards her dissolving shield.  
  
The entire world fell dark. A deep rumbling shook the ground. The Shadows who had been happily rampaging fell flat, trembling a much as a blob could. They felt the defeat of their summoner and fled this world. Plants took root again into the ground. Link heard a new voice join the others in his head. The notes of a handcrafted ocarina accompanied the sweet, childish singing. Light shone over the land, the Shadows gone.  
  
In front of Link, he could see the evil dissolving. He saw the great broadsword falling apart into black specks. Sarie's body began to burn away. The Chorus of Shadows began to soften as black particles began fell of his body. The evil surrounding him fell to the ground and disappeared. In a blinding flash, the room was empty, save the heroes.  
  
Banooru, who had recovered to see the final blows, and Navi walked towards Link. Now clad in green, he stood unmoving. The saw him still in the final pose, golden sword in both hands, pointed at the empty ground. The short boy stood tense.  
  
The Gerudo and fairy came around to Link's front. His eyes had regained their color. He remained unmoving.  
  
"Link?" Navi said softly. Banooru stood, swords sheathed.  
  
The boy shuddered, and then looked up, his arms fell to his side. He glanced from the fairy to the woman, and back.  
  
"She's gone," he said plainly. He turned and walked to the door, the others slowly following. 


	20. Prologue: The Sun Drowns Shadows

Prologue: The Sun drowns Shadows  
  
Peace stood over the clearing. A soft breeze stirred the green grass. Birds chirped form tree branches. Light streamed through the canopy to illuminate a small figure standing in front of a newly disturbed patch of dirt covered with a pretty stone.  
  
"Rest, brother," Link whispered. "Our cause was noble and hopefully our legend will last forever in this world, even through your death." The Hero of Time stood in thought. He held the short blade that had been wielded by Link of Somare. The short knife-like sword, in many ways like the Kokiri's Sword, glittered. It seemed to speak of heroism, and goodness. Link sighed. Another boy walked up behind him.  
  
"Link?" Mido started. The hero looked up. "I found something else in the books of stories." Link nodded, curious to what the master of legends had found. "It's another prophecy, very much related to the Shadow's Mirikiri." He waited a moment, then began quoting. "The hero of this world rests in earth, the blade of the justice rests in stone, the leader of shadows rest in oblivion, the people rest in the peace."  
  
Navi had fluttered slowly into the clearing. "So," she asked, "it's over then? There's gonna be peace?" she quietly questioned. Both Link and Mido nodded, knowing truly, what the prophecy meant. They looked up at Navi, then Link walked closer to Link's headstone. He was sure that sword was to rest here.  
  
The hero gripped the hilt, then plunged downward. The shining blade hit the rock, and then a white flash filled the clearing. When they could see again, the sword was firmly lodged half way into the headstone. The permanent reminder of Link's sacrifice would remain there for millennia, a symbol of peace for Somare.  
  
Link stepped back, then walked out of the clearing with Mido. It was the fairy's turn to be alone with her long time partner. In the edge of the forest, Link stopped.  
  
"Mido," he said. The boy turned. "It's up to you now. You know about this world, and you can keep peace between everybody." They looked at each other for a few long moment, then Link said, "Keep the Council of Kokiri strong, my...friend. Good-bye."  
  
Link knew that his own forest village had a person parallel to this boy, and was sure that they were more alike in their kindness then Mido, the Boss of the Kokiri, would ever admit. Link was determined to crack into Mido's friendship when he got back to Hyrule. He was not sure if he would ever find his way back, though. The portal might only lead him to another new world, but he had to try. The Hero of Time walked into the deep forest. Mido wordlessly wound his way through the trees toward his village.  
  
As soon as Mido had fallen out of sight, Link stopped, for Banooru had just stepped out from behind a wide tree. Her eyes searched him for a second, then she looked him straight in the face. "You recognized me when we met for the first time. If Mido and Navi have places in your world, then," her gaze broke and the strong woman looked to the ground. "Then...where are my people? Are they great priestesses? Are they...still alive?"  
  
Link mentally cringed. He knew that she wanted for him to help her understand the fate of her owl Gerudo sisters, but how could he tell her that her kin lived as thieves and pirates? Could he say that the Incarnation of Evil had been their king? [To be honest,] he thought, [is best.]  
  
"Your people, the Gerudo in my world, are strong and very..." he paused. "...Independent. They live for themselves, and don't let outsiders who are unworthy come," he stuttered out. Banooru still looked expectant.  
  
"Well," he pondered his wording quickly, "um, they visit their great temple, and seem to be prospering in the desert." The tall Gerudo's eyes spoke volumes. She inferred from Link's information that her own people would come back to her. She was hopeful. Her large eyes locked with Link.  
  
"Thank you, boy. For bringing...justice to that evil fool." Banooru smiled for the first time in years. She turned and walked away, slipping behind a tree before Link could say farewell.  
  
The boy was now alone, walking towards his entrance to this world. Deep in the forest, there stood an arch into a hollow tree, which led to an inter- worldly portal.  
  
He came to the dark gateway, and stood looking into its depths. [Where am I to go?] he questioned himself. [How long am I to wander?] The hero, separated still from all that he knew, stepped toward the arch.  
  
A familiar cackling giggle came from before him inside the dark portal. Link backpedaled as a figure stepped out of the gloom. His back was bent under the weight of a heavy pack and his face wore a very strange grinning expression.  
  
"You?" Link wondered. "You're here too?"  
  
"He he he he..." the Happy Mask Salesman laughed. "You must realize that the Hero of Time is not the only one who knows the connections between worlds." His face grew concerned, but still held the stupid grin. "And I see I was sent just in time."  
  
Link, suddenly both confused and comforted, was taken aback as to who might have sent the bubbly man. The salesman offered no explanation, but continued.  
  
"The Hero of Time has triumphed again." Link wondered how he could know about his recent victory. "But he is weary. Weary of the battle; weary of the journey; weary of the losses." The man's eyes held a look of deep sympathy, but his grin began to widen. "Your quest to banish the shadows is finished for now, my boy. I've been sent here to guide you." Link looked up in wonderment. "To home! To rest! To friends! Come!"  
  
Without another word, the Happy Mask Salesman turned. He walked into the darkened arch, and Link followed. With one last cackling giggle, the man magically disappeared. Link took one last look into the familiar yet unfamiliar forest, then stepped in after.  
  
Falling, without a rush of wind, nor any objects or textures flying upward past him. He could feel it, and knew how, for he was somehow more attuned now to the magic of the tunnel. Falling, he felt himself slow. The Hero of Time stepped out on solid ground, walking towards the arch. The salesman was gone. He came out, deep in a forest covered in the murkiness of a moonless nightfall. He looked around. Everything seemed right.  
  
Link walked out of the hollow log and down the path. Darkness was over the clearing and the Children of the Forest were in their homes. He walked through the gloom of the quiet night. Link could feel with a magical sixth sense that it had been only a half a day since he last touched the rough wooden rungs of this ladder. The Hero of Time had lived through and experienced years since he last stood on the small wood platform in peace. Link stood for a moment, looking at the trees, grass, water, and stars.  
  
He turned and walked inside. Link reached to unbuckle his sword and shield, but found them gone. He did not give the loss of his battle gear another thought as he moved to his bed. He lay down and tried to drift into sleep.  
  
The boy turned over in bed. He could not coax his mind into the bliss of sleep; there were too many memories moving inside of it. Memories of friends, past, present, future, and of other worlds. Memories of friends that were lost. The heroic child cried himself to sleep.  
  
The End 


End file.
